North Korea has tested an unknown ballistic missile over the Sea of Japan.

The Japan Ministry of Defense reported on this.

The launch took place at 12:01 a.m. Korean time, when J/FPS-5 radar posts reported a single ballistic target.

During this launch, the missile reached a maximum altitude of about 100 km and flew about 1,100 km. The launch took place from the interior of North Korea towards the northeast.

At this time, Japan, the United States and South Korea are working closely together to analyze the details of the missile’s flight. According to South Korea’s Yonhap News, citing sources in the Ministry of National Defense of South Korea, the flight profile and recorded speed were not similar to previous tests.

There is a possibility that this time North Korea tested a hypersonic missile, which was tested in January and April 2024.

If the information that it was a hypersonic missile is confirmed, this will be the longest range at which the DPRK has ever launched such missiles.

These are the first missile tests in 2025. The last time North Korea launched a short-range ballistic missile was on November 5, 2024.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff stated that information about the missile launch had begun to arrive even before the actual launch. Korean media believe that the test was more of a political move to demonstrate to Trump that the DPRK is serious.

Militarnyi previously reported that in October 2024, North Korea had launched a Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile, setting a local record with 86 minutes of flight time.

The missile fell into the waters of the DPRK in the east of the peninsula. The recent successful missile launch has raised concerns in Washington and Seoul, especially in light of the strengthening military cooperation between North Korea and Russia.

The launch, which was recorded by the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Republic of Korea, took place at approximately 7:10 a.m. local time from the Pyongyang area.